The NHL Department of Player Safety announced a hearing today for Casey Cizikas. The New York Islanders forward received a two-minute minor penalty for boarding Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Brendan Smith last night. Despite only receiving the minor penalty in the win, the league will re-visit the incident via hearing today. Update: Cizikas has been suspended for one game and will miss the matchup on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.
NY Islanders’ Casey Cizikas has been suspended for one game for Boarding Carolina’s Brendan Smith. https://t.co/JrLRTpmflJ
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 9, 2022
Casey Cizikas Hearing with the Department of Player Safety Set For Saturday
Cizikas maintains no history of fines or suspensions handed down from the Department of Player Safety. Since he is not a repeat offender, any supplemental discipline awarded to him would likely be minor. First-time offenders typically receive lighter penalties, and this boarding incident probably falls into that category.
Early in the third period, Smith skated to retrieve a puck deep in his own zone. He hit his right edges to spin out of the corner with the puck to his left. As he turned, Cizikas reached him to deliver a hit, which wound up coming directly from behind into Smith’s back.
Smith left the contest and did not return. Cizikas and the Islanders went on to score a go-ahead goal in the final minute of play. As a result, New York won the matchup 2-1 in regulation.
What This Means for the Future
So far this season, Cizikas scored nine goals and five assists for 14 points in 63 games. He also added 46 minutes in penalties, a career-high total. His possession numbers were an abysmal 37.8 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -11.1.
Over his 11-year NHL career, Cizikas has played only for the Isles. He put up 90 goals and 109 assists for 199 career points in 653 career games. He was originally drafted in the fourth round, 92nd overall of the 2009 NHL draft.
New York basically needs to win out in their last dozen games to even have a sniff at a postseason berth. Trailing the Washington Capitals by 11 points, they need a lot of magic here down the stretch. Cizikas maintained a prominent role on the team’s fourth line over the past decade. His absence won’t go unnoticed, should he receive a suspension. It compounds the Cal Clutterbuck loss, as well. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes hope Smith can return to play but no announcements have come from their club as of yet. For now, we await results from the Casey Cizikas hearing for further updates.
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